


Hope Is Not In Vain

by pamelaroseee



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Kidnapping, M/M, Secret Relationship, Tony Feels, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-12
Updated: 2014-11-12
Packaged: 2018-02-25 02:20:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2605037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pamelaroseee/pseuds/pamelaroseee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The muscles around his lungs were tight. Steve gasped for air as the lights blinded him. </i>
</p><p> </p><p>  <i>"Where am I?" Steve was now Captain Rogers, his voice forceful and angry. </i></p><p> </p><p>  <i>"Ah, ah, Cap. Not today." The thick Spanish accent made his stomach turn. It was the unfamiliarity that caused the sick feeling to grow steady. "You’re not in charge here. You see, you’re never truly in charge. I know, those silly little supervillains you fight with their spells and magic and superpowers make you think that you hold some sort of say so over their lives and, with them you may, but with me - you’re helpless." Pulling the bag from Steve’s head, Medina smiled wide. "You’re fate is in my hands."</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Hope Is Not In Vain

**Author's Note:**

> "Tony discovers that one of his business rivals is planning on abducting Steve to use as blackmail against him."
> 
> Also, for the "villain" here, I like to envision him as [this fine piece of work](https://irishcinephile.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/tv-news-could-pedro-pascal-play-ras-al-ghul-in-arrow-season-3.jpg).

“Tony Stark!” A thick Spanish accent rang throughout the small room.

Tony groaned, turning in his chair as he stood to his feet to meet the newcomer.  There were guards following the man, dressed in black and wearing shades inside (which rang douchebaggery to Tony).

“Oliver Medina!” The enthusiasm was anything but authentic. “To what do I owe this displeasure?”

Oliver sat across from the oak wood desk, crossing his legs slightly with a devious smile dancing across his lips. “Have you considered my deal?”

Tony pressed his waist against the desk. Stroking his chin, Tony hummed softly. “Hmm, you know I did. It kept me up all night, really, and just drove me nuts but then, I was laid across my cashmere sheets and silk pillows with your girlfriend blowing my brains out and when I blew her brains out, I decided that the answer was still no.”

It was quiet, Oliver’s face hard and lips pushed into a tight frown before he slowly pulled them into a smile, again. “Ah, Stark, I love that dark sense of humor of yours.”

“I think it’s pretty lighthearted and child-friendly, myself.”

Oliver chuckled. “Again with the jokes, I like it very much. I like how you find so much to laugh about when your boyfriend is hogtied in my basement. At least, if you don’t give me what I want in exchange for what you need, he will be.”

For once Tony was silent. His mouth was slightly ajar as he tried to think over the idea of how Oliver knew about him and Steve and more importantly, the safety of his significant other. “What are you talking about, Medina?”

“We all have our secrets, Mr. Stark, it’s just that some of us do a better deal of hiding them. You know that security system of yours in that tower is so rudimentary to bypass when you have the right people on your team. Well, when you threaten the right people.” He was laughing again, a laughter that caused a chill to tingle in every muscle of Tony’s body. “Now,” Oliver began as he stood to his feet, “Twenty-four hours should be enough to supply me with what I need, yes? I’ll be generous, since I know a man like you can get mighty busy – 48 hours. Forty-eight hours or that star spangled boyfriend of yours will be my play thing for the night. Then I cut his throat.” With a shrug, he spun on his toes and walked through the doors that his body guards opened before him.

Tony didn't move. Every bone in his body was stiff until the click of the door nearly made him fall to floor. He was gasping for air, his hands shaking as he searched his pockets frantically for his phone.

“Answer the fucking phone.” He said through gritted teeth as he hurried to call Steve.

The tone was slow to Tony, dragging and building his fear and worries until he heard a quietness resonate from the other line. “Hello?” Tony said in the abyss of silence.

“Yeah, yeah, sorry. Hey.” Steve’s voice abruptly arrived, giving Tony the breath of relief he needed more than anything.

“Where are you?” They agreed to be honest, to be truthful to one another when the time had come but right now, Tony played it cool to not scare the soldier.

“I’m at the tower talking with Clint, why? Is everything okay?” Steve was worried in his hardened tone of voice.

Tony swallowed air. “Remember the guy I told you about? Medina? Well, he’s throwing out some serious threats now and usually I don’t take it this hard but he knows about us and he said that he hacked into the security system at the house. Who knows what else he knows. You have to go somewhere safe, somewhere I don’t know about and you can’t say anything to anyone.”

“Tony, calm down, take a deep breath.  Why is he such a threat? You've fought off plenty of guys like him before, what’s the deal with this one?”

“Because who knows what he knows, Steve. He could’ve been watching us for weeks or maybe not at all, the fact of the matter is I’m trying to protect you. Just do what I said, please?” Tony was pleading.

Steve sighed. “I can protect myself, Tony. I’ve told you a thousand times you don’t have to go around trying to save everyone. I can handle myself. If he tries something, I’ll figure something out.”

Tony shook his head, fighting his logic and emotion as he thought about something happening. Oliver was dangerous in a sense, he was so far off his rocker that Tony somewhat feared his intentions. The man reeked of lack of morals, he seemed to believe in the most unethical of things and as much as Tony wanted to give in to his potentially empty threats, he just couldn’t. “Alright, okay. Just be careful, please? I,” he paused to think over his words, “I don’t know what I’d do without you. I love you, alright?”

There was another silence, another stiff huff before he heard a response. “Alright.”

“No, say it. I don’t care who’s there.”

“I love you, Tony.”

The twinge of joy splashed across his face before the distant yells of Clint’s, “Finally!” rang throughout his ears. Tony and Steve chuckled.

“I’ll figure something out. You just stay safe.”

“Tony,” Steve said calmly, “what is it that he wants from you? Your suits?”

Tony sighed deeply. “I built something dangerous a few years ago. I hid the blueprint because at the time I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t know the reaction it would have so I shelved it and he wants it in exchange for … something my father designed a long time ago. He left it for me and like the idiot I am, I sold it away and now it’s pretty important. It’s really important to me and I can’t give him this  _thing_  when it may hurt a lot of people and now your life is on the line and I’m stuck. I’m honest to God or whoever the fuck, stuck.”

There was more silence followed by another sigh and a huff before Steve sucked in a deep breath. “I’ve got a plan. I’ve got a -”

The line cut out.

“Steve? Steve, you better be fucking with me, Steve!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The muscles around his lungs were tight. Steve gasped for air as the lights blinded him. 

"Where am I?" Steve was now Captain Rogers, his voice forceful and angry. 

"Ah, ah, Cap. Not today," the thick Spanish accent made his stomach turn. It was the unfamiliarity that caused the sick feeling to grow steady. "You’re not in charge here. You see, you’re never in charge. I know, those silly little supervillains you fight with their spells and magic and superpowers make you think that you hold some sort of say so over their lives and, with them you may, but with me - you’re helpless," pulling the bag from Steve’s head, Medina smiled wide. "You’re fate is in my hands."

A man pushed a chair towards him. Medina sat across from the chained Steve, his hands tied above his head and feet chained together. Steve was sitting on the ground, eyes searching and sizing up the room as he tried to think of his grand plan of escaping.

"You can try as hard as you want but that’s iron that even you cannot break. Nothing but the tools used to make it can break it, dear Captain," Medina spoke calmly, in a way that made Steve uneasy and slightly afraid. "Can I call you Steve? Saying Captain makes me feel so out of place and informal since you’re not in the uniform."

"Call me what you want but I’ll be the one that’s going to-"

Forcing the hood into Steve’s mouth, Medina shook his head. “So much talking. That is why heroes are soo useless, such a waste of time and space. I’m counting down the seconds until Tony calls or knocks down my wall with his Iron Man costume. Until then though,” snapping his fingers to dismiss the larger men in the room, Medina stood to his feet to stand with his crotch inches away from Steve’s face. “I’ll take great pride in defaming the baby face of justice and freedom with my own soldier.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tony couldn’t breathe. 

Natasha typed hard and fast. “Wherever he is, we’ll find him.”

"Well, stop talking and fucking find him!"

Instead of addressing Tony’s rude behavior, she continued her work. The fear was written all over his face, the uncertainty of where life would be heading for him and his significant other. There was so much that he wanted to say, wanted to scream at the top of his lungs on the rooftop of the tallest building in the world but he couldn’t. Instead, he sat there, angry and brooding.

"Oliver Medina owns six warehouses in the tri-state area. We can dispatch an agent to every location."

Tony jumped to his feet. “I don’t want SHIELD involved. I don’t need Fury breathing up my ass, I don’t need Hill and Coulson asking questions and invading my space, all I want is you. Okay? You’re his best friend, you’re the only one who knows him better than I do and I just need your help.”

"Where’s Clint?" Natasha’s voice was low. Looking around the space as if he’d appear. "That was the last person with Steve, right?"

Tony rubbed his face. “He was in the background laughing and then it cut out. Nat-“

"We’ll find them. Steve will be fine and Clint has been through this more than enough to be okay." 

Tony took a deep breath. There was a sudden vibration in his pocket. 

"Is it him?" Natasha inquired.

Tony nodded as he answered. “I thought you said 48 hours.”

"Did I? Gosh, I talk so much you people should take notes of the things I say because I don’t recall that. Plus, I never promised it’d be 48 hours. I never break promises."

"Where the fuck is Steve?" Tony yelled at the top of his lungs. All the color rushed to his face as the room became red.

Medina laughed. “Calm down, Mr. Stark. You’re so uptight all the time. I mean, I can understand why because he’s tighter than most nuns and I will say that getting into that all the time would just be torture on yourself, am I right?”

Breakfast was meeting his lips as Tony thought about Steve being drugged and manhandled. “You didn’t.” The words came through gritted teeth.

"Jesus, no, what kind of person do you take me for? I’m not a rapist. He’s asleep now, a few horse tranquilizers did the trick since he kept trying to fight and threaten my head and blah, blah, blah. Anyways, let’s put it this way: I send you the address, you and you alone come with the blueprint, and we’ll take it from there."

Tony looked up at Nat, shaking her head as she did anything but smile. “I bring one person.”

"You bring no one!" His scream was heard from across the room as Natasha slowly fought everything inside of her to nod. 

"Alright, just me."

"One more thing: no suit. No suit, no gadgets, no buttons, no cameras, just you and the blueprint."

The line went dead. Tony feeling the blood rush away from his head as he felt his skin boil before throwing the phone at the wall. 

"Tony," Nat cooed. She was calm in the middle of the storm, Tony trashing his workspace as he tried to make sense of what life had given him.  When the desk was clear and the floor was littered in glass and paper, Tony fell to his knees.

"It’s not your fault, Tony."

With tears blurring his vision, Tony wanted to believe her but everything inside of him begged to differ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Boss, he’s here!" A brute-like man called out as he stood at the top of the stairs.

Medina smiled at Steve, who was covered in filth and dirt, bruised and bloody. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll be back in just a second,” Medina pinched his cheeks. Steve pulled away, saying nothing.

Tony was wearing a baseball cap, a hoodie with a broken zipper, jeans, and a white shirt. It wasn’t his choice of attire but he didn’t want to be seen, he didn’t want anyone to know who he was or where he was going because the mess before him was already too big.

"Mr. Stark, don’t you look homey. I love it," Medina reached his arms out for a hug. Tony didn’t move, standing there with his hands dug into his pockets and eyes straight ahead as the man wrapped himself around him

"I want to see Steve," Tony demanded.

Medina smiled widely. “Sure you don’t want to see your friend, Clint? He’s been in the trunk since we got here and it’s been .. four hours now? I’m sure he’s dead or dying. I think you should at least check on him first. The heat is a scorcher.”

Tony shook his head. The thought of Clint being tied up in a trunk made his heart pound against the chamber of his ribcage but he played it all cool. “Never liked him much.”

Medina bellowed out a laugh. “That humor. I love it so much. Tell me, where’s the blueprint? You look empty handed, I don’t like it.”

Tony pulled over his jacket to reveal the rolled up paper shoved into the waistband of his pants. “Where’s mines?”

"Hmm, see, well," the clicks of guns echoed as each man behind him pointed barrel at his head. "I don’t trust anyone else to build this properly. What I actually had in mind was that you build it. Truth was, Tony, I never had your father’s beloved gift for you. I know who does but none of that really matters, now does it? Because, if you think about it, by the time you’re done building it, I’ll set it off and you and your star spangled boyfriend will be dead."

Forcing him into cuffs, the brutes took his paper from him and walked Tony down the stairs. 

Steve was delirious. The drugs still coursing through his veins as he tried to make sense of what he thought he saw. 

Tony smiled, tears swelling in his eyes as he tried not to show his ever so obvious pain. 

"Now, work," Medina demanded as the brute chained him to the desk and freed his hands from the cuffs. "I’ll leave you to it with Jesus here being your chaperone. Don’t try anything, Stark, I don’t want to have to kill you two before time."

The door clicked close. The tools were laid out before Tony, aligned by height and size from smallest to largest. The paper was rolled beside him, waiting to be unraveled but it wasn’t time, he wasn’t ready - he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. Tony peeked over his shoulder, Steve looked up at him through swollen lids and bruised cheeks. It was heartbreaking, sadder than he ever imagined. 

"Get to work," the guard demanded as he took the butt of the gun into Tony’s shoulder. 

"What sense does that make to break my arm?" Tony snapped at the man. 

He slowly began to start working. It was against his will, against his better judgement as an engineer, a human being but he did it. For once he had no tricks up his sleeves, no hidden gadgets transform the device into something more productively. Tony hadn’t given up but he had to do what he could to save Steve, and himself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An hour passed before Medina returned. Carrying that same jolly smile as if the world was just a-okay and nothing was wrong here. “How’s the work coming along, Tony? I figured since we’re friends now, I can call you Tony.”

"I don’t have any friends," Tony replied dryly.

"Is that right? Well, that’s good because we found your friend outside and since you have no friends, we can kill her, right?"

Steve’s eyes grew wide. Tony bit back on his fear. Steve spoke in sounds, the words muffled by whatever was shoved into his mouth. Tony took a deep breath before he let out a shrug. “Whatever. Didn’t like her either.”

"You are a terrible liar, Tony. I’ve seen you two talk to one another in such a pleasant way before, sharing laughs and beers at three in the morning. Not sure how you can say you don’t like someone so easily when I’ve seen nothing but love emit from you around these people you say aren’t your friends. Granted, you talk to them so poorly but you love them nonetheless. That’s why I have to take it away from you. You think so lowly of yourself and I want to give you what you think you deserve. And I will."

"Another psychopath who thinks he’s God," Tony snorted as he shook his head, continuing to work.

Medina laughed as well. “God is beneath me. I’m more than a God. Your life lays in my hands, does it not? How does this not make me a God? Is that not what God is?”

Tony said nothing, shaking his head as he continued to with his task. 

"Alright! Kill her!" Medina yelled out. The gun fire was lighting up the slim hall that led to them. There were no yells or cries, no screams or groans and though Tony didn’t want to think about it, blame himself for whatever was happening, he knew that this was all for some reason. Some reason he couldn’t understand or even comprehend but he accepted it that way nonetheless. Steve was in tears, the blood and salt mixing as it ran down his face.

Suddenly, there was silence. 

Loud thuds hitting the floor above them as Medina’s face grew concerned. “Go check it,” he barked at the brutes watching over Tony. They both followed orders, disappearing into the door. All was still and peaceful until more thuds. 

Medina backed away from the door. The steps were light, clicks that resembled the noise of heels. The black boots appeared, the redhead adding the only touch of color to the dull, dark basement. “Hands up, big boy.”

"You’re adorable," Media replied as he raised his hands. "You think it’s that easy?"

Natasha held the gun at his head. Her expression was flat, her eyes stern and dark as she stared at Medina. “Trust me, it will be. Uncuff them and you get to keep your pecker.”

"Pecker?" Tony questioned. "Really? That’s the word you go with when you threaten a man”s life?"

"If you don’t shut your trap, I’ll blast yours off too, Anthony," Natasha spat, never looking away from Medina.

Tony rolled his eyes. Medina smiled, slowly walking over to Steve to unchain him from the metal pole. “You have too much faith in people. Good luck,” Medina said as he grabbed Steve around the neck and shot a syringe in his neck. 

Natasha blasted the gun, shooting Medina right between the eyes as he and Steve fell to the ground. Tony jumped to go over, getting hung up on the chain that kept him strapped to the table. “What did he put in his neck?”

Steve was shaking, his limbs jerked and shook as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. “He’s having a seizure, I think.”

"What did he do? What did he give him?" Tony was breaking, his voice cracking as he laid on the floor, reaching out for the dying man. They were so close, he was so close.

Each passing second felt like an eternity. Tony watched the color disappear from his face, reaching for Steve as he was too far. Nat searched Medina over and over again, emptying his pockets as Steve foamed at the mouth and jerked about. He was fish out of water, his life slipping through their fingers before …

It was over.

He stopped. His body was still, limp, lifeless. The two were in disbelief, their eyes wide and hearts aching too terribly for Steve to be dead right there before them. Tony felt himself shut down. His heartbeat slowly to a stop before he reminded himself to breath. What would he have to breath for? What was there to live for if now there was no purpose? Tony wanted to touch him, to kiss his skin one more time before he accepted that this was, in fact, goodbye. One more chance to tell him how he felt but he couldn’t, he wouldn’t. Instead, he was a foot away, lying on the floor with his hand stretched out to what he didn’t want to believe to be the corpse of the man he loved.

Steps were heard above them before Maria slowly stepped down the stairs to find the two. “They’re here!” She called out until she saw Steve. “Is he-?”

"I d-don’t know, I d-d-don't-" Natasha was frantic, her words coming out in chopped syllables.

Maria stepped towards him, in disbelief as well like the other two. ”We need an ambulance!” She called up the stairs. Three agents rushed down the stairs to carry out to retrieve the body. Tony was still, his skin cold and clammy as his eyes were dead. This was all his fault. The device before him was one piece short of being complete.

Natasha unchained him, finally. Placing her arm around his shoulder as she helped him up the stairs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The room was filled to the brim. Bruce was standing close to the window, Thor sitting in a chair beside the bed, Tony on the other side of the bed in a chair as well, and Natasha was floating between Clint’s and Steve’s room before she slipped into Steve’s and squeezed herself close to the bathroom door. Coulson was standing outside, talking on his phone as he did the best he could to distract himself from the thought of losing his only hero. When Natasha slipped in, Maria slipped out, feeling that it was better place for her to be beside Coulson at the moment.

Slowly, Steve was waking up. All eyes were beaming down on his face as the beeping of the machine next to him became white noise to his consciousness.

"Good afternoon, friend." Thor said, placing a hand on Steve’s aching shoulder.

His entire body was in pain. The muscles feeling like they were electrified before being beat to a pulp by the Hulk. He’d received a punch from the green angry giant once but honestly, this felt nothing like that. Steve groaned as he tried to sit up, using his elbows for most of the work. 

"Don’t you move an inch," Natasha spat like a mother hen. "You’ve been through  _a lot._ You need nothing but rest. We’re all leaving anyway.”

Steve smirked as he slipped back into his previous position, doing as told. “How’s Clint?” Steve croaked with nothing but rasp. It was like him, caring about others over his own well being, but that’s what made Steve who he was, and everyone couldn’t help but to smile about it.

"He’s better than you. Nothing worse than he’s ever seen. Pumped about two IVs in him so he’s pissing his life away and now he’s trying to bribe nurses for better food. Speaking of which, I gotta go." Nat said walking over to the tired man. 

Tony was staring, never tearing away from his face as he tried to think up something to say. Bruce joined beside Nat, she was glancing at his chart a time or two before bending down to kiss the aching man’s forehead.

"You’re home now," Bruce whispered as he reached to slightly hug the man.

Steve looked up at the two, all three smiling before the pair departed.

"I shall be taking a leave as well. Try not to die in my absence, yes?" Thor said as he gently squeezed Steve’s shoulder. The care and love radiated through his fingertips. 

Steve nodded as his friends disappeared to leave only one person.

“You don’t have somewhere to be?” Steve asked lowly, the small smirk still painted on his lips.

Tony shook his head, looking down at his fidgeting fingers as each digit picked at the others nails. It was hard for him in this moment. Usually, things were easier from between the bed rails, being the one whom was hurt and fighting to keep a smile. Instead, he was bedside, fighting off tears and holding his crippling composure before he jumped from his seat to kiss Steve’s busted lips. Steve groaned in pain, slowly pushing Tony away as he let out a tight cough. 

"What was that for?" Steve asked, pressing his fingers against the wounds on his lips.

Tony shook his head again. “I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry. I thought I was protecting you, protecting us-“

"You and I agreed that this being a secret was for the best. We are in no shape to have a public relationship, and we’re waiting until the time is right. We both agreed to this, you know it. It’s not your fault. We’ve had this discussion."

"How is it not? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been tied up and almost raped. You were dead, Steve. For four full fucking minutes, you were pronounced dead. I did this. You know it and your fucking modesty is just not cutting it."

Steve took a deep breath, leaning his head back against the pillow as he stared at the ceiling. “I don’t blame you because that’s what love is, right? Taking risk for the people you love? Why would I blame you when I took that risk? Loving you is way more threatening than some guy tying me up in his basement.” Scratching at his cut eyebrow, Steve mumbled, “I’d rather it been me than you, any day.”

Tony wanted to laugh but the latter comment stopped him. “Don’t say that.”

"It’s true. You mean a lot to people and I’ve proved who I am to the world. If I had to take a bullet or catch a grenade, I would do it for you."

"Natasha forcing you to listen to her music again?" Tony asked with an eyebrow raised.

Steve shrugged, smiling innocently.

Tony leaned back into his seat. “Do you mean it? Not just me forcing you to you to say it?”

Steve smiled. “I do. Why would I not love you?”

"Because I  _literally_  got you killed,” Tony couldn’t help but to snicker. “I don’t want to keep this a secret anymore. I can’t do it. I’m terrible at keeping secrets and I don’t want to wait until we’re ready for something that we may never get a chance to have. I want to be proud of you, of us. I want to know that when you’re life is in danger, I don’t have to tiptoe around Fury to go all protective boyfriend.”

"That’s the last thing we need," Steve uttered as he coughed up a laugh.

"I’m serious. I’m done with being in the shadows. People know I’m Iron Man, people know that I’ve had my fair share of every type of person in whoever's holy creation, and now I want people to know that I’m with you."

All was still for only a second until Steve forced himself to sit up. 

"Whoa there, cowboy, you heard Nat-"

"Shut up and give me a kiss," His voice was demanding yet gentle. Tony knew that this wouldn’t be his first time saving Steve’s life, or his last, but either way, he was glad to have him for another day.

**Author's Note:**

> give me a follow on [tumblr](http://theseniorcitizen.tumblr.com/).


End file.
